


Chasing the Nightmares Away

by DS_Blxck



Series: The Tales of the Daltons' Adopted Sister [1]
Category: Les Dalton | The Daltons (Cartoon), Les Nouvelles Aventures de Lucky Luke | The New Adventures of Lucky Luke (Cartoon)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adopted Younger Sister, Background Character Death, Brother-Sister Relationships, Childhood Trauma, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Fluff, Nightmares, Other, Protective Older Brothers, Short One Shot, Sibling Bonding, Siblings, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:13:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22457788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DS_Blxck/pseuds/DS_Blxck
Summary: Shortly after her biological parents were killed in a freak accident, 7-year-old Avianna was found and adopted by the Dalton family. Despite her new, friendly environment she is getting used on calling "home", she still suffers from recurrent nightmares caused by the trauma she had suffered and is adamant on keeping them a secret to avoid being a burden. What happens when one of the Dalton brothers discovers that dark secret?ONE-SHOT.
Relationships: Averell Dalton & Original Character(s)
Series: The Tales of the Daltons' Adopted Sister [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1616005
Kudos: 2





	Chasing the Nightmares Away

_Avianna is 7 years old while Averell is 17. Setting: a couple of days after Avianna’s adoption, 12:53 AM._

****

Avianna frowned in her sleep and let out a soft whimper. Behind her closed eyelids, the terrifying images of an accident were twisted into a much more gruesome sight as her brain took the matters into its own hands and altered the reality with her deepest fears. A small hand shot out from beneath her covers to grab them, unconsciously pushing them off her. With another whimper, the little girl kicked them aside, successfully making them tumble down onto the wooden floor. Tears began streaking down her cheeks as she shook her head.

“No! Mama!” she cried out.

She extended her arm, but only managed to grab the air.

“MAMA!” she wailed. “Don’t go!”

Green eyes snapped open in the darkness of the room. Alarmed and frightened, she sat up and looked around. No wreckage greeted her as she took in her surroundings. No blood covered the bare walls of her bedroom. No dead bodies littered the floor. Her tears started anew as the reality sank in. Her parents were dead, killed in a stagecoach accident along with her unborn baby brother. She had been the only survivor, having been thrown out the window by the force of the collision. She would never see them again. She would never hear their voices again, telling her stories and comforting her when she needed it. 

Avianna tensed as she heard muffled footsteps hurrying down the hallway and towards her closed door. A second later, it opened quietly and a tall boy in his late teens poked his head in. His dark brown eyes were wide and his thick, straight eyebrows were knitted in concern. When he saw she was not in immediate danger, he let out a small breath of relief and entered, making sure to close the door behind him. Slowly, to avoid frightening her any further, he approached her bed and turned on the small bedside lamp.

“Are you alright?” he whispered softly as he sat down beside her.

Avianna wiped her eyes with her sleeves and shook her head. The boy, Averell Dalton, wordlessly took a tissue from the box and handed it to her. The small seven-year-old girl took it and blew her nose in it. 

“Nightmare?” Averell asked again.

Avianna nodded her affirmative. She tentatively raised her head to meet his eyes, but soon dropped it again as she felt tears welling up in them again. As she nervously began fiddling with the hem of her pyjama pants, she felt two gentle arms encircle her shoulders and pull her into a warm hug. She stiffened for a moment, but then relaxed. After a couple of minutes, she even returned the embrace. 

“Would you like to talk about it?” the teen inquired further. 

He gently pushed her back a little so he could see her expression. Delicately, he wiped the tear tracks on her cheeks with another tissue and took the used one Avianna had balled in her hands. Avianna stared straight in front of her for a moment, then slowly nodded. She began telling what she saw, how she saw her parents being taken away from her in front of her very eyes once more, how vultures had begun circling the sky above the wreckage, how the town she was attempting to reach kept getting further and further the longer she walked. She told about the big, scary black shape that had enveloped her before she woke up. She also told the entire story about what really happened during the accident, as accurately as her memories allowed her. Averell listened patiently to her story without interruption, nodding his understanding every once in a while. Once she was done, he put his hands on her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes.

“Avianna, look at me please”, he whispered. 

Green eyes met brown and he smiled.

“I am truly sorry for your loss. What you’re going through now is very painful and difficult, but believe me when I say that I completely understand how you feel. I know it might sound stupid because you can’t feel your parents’ presence around you anymore, but they never really left you. They will always continue living within you. You must cherish the memories you have of them, of all the happy times you were blessed to have shared with them. No one is really dead as long as his or her memories live on. You wish that this were all but a terrible nightmare, that you will wake up and see them by your bedside, telling you that everything will be alright. But then you realize that it is not a simple bad dream as you’re hit with the hard reality, leaving you feeling hollow inside and alone. It is absolutely okay to cry, you need to release your bottled-up emotions. But let me tell you one thing: you are not alone. Not anymore. You might still see us as strangers, but you have me, you have the guys and you have Ma. You can always count on us. We will always listen to you when you’ll want to talk to us. We want you to feel at home.”

Avianna nodded, her gaze unwavering. Everything still seemed so unreal. She was very afraid that the kind and accepting family that was now hers would disappear if she did as much as blink. Yes, one of the brothers was scaring her a bit, but she wouldn’t give up her only source of happiness after the tragic accident that orphaned her.

“And _I_ love you very much, you know that?”

Avianna’s lips stretched into a small smile. She turned her head away as her cheeks turned light pink and moisture gathered in her large green eyes. How happy she was to hear these words again! She never thought she would hear them again, not after everything that had happened. 

“I-I love you too”, she whispered. “Big brother…”

The grin that split Averell’s face in two at that moment was bright enough to power an entire town. A thousand emotions spread throughout his entire body and he was so stunned he could not utter a single sound. Wordlessly, he pulled his adoptive younger sister towards him in a strong embrace. 

“My little sister”, he said in wonder.

He said those three precious words one more time, trying to convince himself that this was real. He too was afraid that this little girl who brought him more joy in mere days than his own family did in the last ten years would vanish from one moment to the other.

“Your parents would be very proud of the brave young girl you are”, he mused out loud.

Tears filled the little girl’s eyes again, but they didn’t fall this time. She suddenly leaned up and threw her arms around her brother’s shoulders, hugging him with all her might. 

“Thank you, Averell”, she sighed.

The teen didn’t answer, instead choosing to simply hold her closer. 

****

Avianna’s body relaxed as she was beginning to doze off. Averell shifted his position to place her back down onto the pillows. He then bent down and picked up the thrown covers from the floor before draping them back over her. He stroke her head one last time and brushed her soft blond hair away from her pale forehead. However, when he made the move to leave, a tug on his sleeve made him pause and glance back down. Avianna was staring pleadingly at him, green eyes wide with fear.

“Can you… please stay with me?” she asked with a small voice.

The teenage boy in Averell’s mind screamed in outrage at the notion, but he promptly silenced it. With a warm smile, he sat back down without hesitation and lay down beside her. He might only have known the little girl for a couple of days, but he already loved her very much. A fierce feeling of protectiveness welled up within his heart as Avianna buried her small head into his chest and he promised himself that he will always look after her and give her the best future she could wish for. He would make certain there would not be one moment when she would feel unloved or unwanted.

Soon enough, his breathing evened out and he fell into a restful sleep.


End file.
